Students

MMCC3090 – Public Relations and Social Media: Constructing Campaigns

2020 – Session 2, Special circumstance

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lauren Gorfinkel
lauren.gorfinkel@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above and permission by special approval
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

The objective of this unit is to develop practical public relations (PR) skills, including: strategy writing, budgeting and professional presentation. Students work in groups as small PR agencies pitching for business of either commercial or non-profit organisations. The unit offers real-life case studies as well as a possibility of the best proposed ideas to be taken up by client organisations. Students seeking to enrol in this unit should contact the Arts PACE office (pace.arts@mq.edu.au) at least six weeks before the commencement of session.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: research the disciplinary knowledge required to synthesize and problem-solve the debates in the field of PR and social media.
  • ULO2: communicate (in written, oral and presentation forms) the theoretical and practical strategies in PR and social media campaign design.
  • ULO3: apply relationship management skills and demonstrate collaboration as a member of a team and with an external client, or external workplace supervisor.
  • ULO4: evaluate and analyse the success of incorporating theory into practical and creative applications.
  • ULO5: demonstrate high level English-language writing skills that provide evidence of your capacity to tailor material to the target audience.
  • ULO6: analyse, evaluate and creatively present and discuss PR and social media ideas.
  • ULO7: participate actively in team activities during and outside of class to achieve outcomes in a professional context.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Internal Communications Project 40% No Week 7 - Friday 11 September 11.59pm
PR Strategy - Part 2 Strategy Pitch 30% No Week 10, 11 or 12
PR Strategy - Part 1 Strategy Report 30% No Week 12 - Friday 30 Oct, 11.59pm

Internal Communications Project

Assessment Type 1: Work-integrated task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: Week 7 - Friday 11 September 11.59pm
Weighting: 40%

For this assignment, you will be required to create two different items building on your client relationship building and project development activities, along with a rationale. These should be items that could be shared on your client's intranet or internal social media feed as part of ongoing internal communications designed to keep fellow employees up-to-date with what is happening around the project. Updates may be in the form of written text, posters, infographics, short videos (e.g. storyboards) etc. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • research the disciplinary knowledge required to synthesize and problem-solve the debates in the field of PR and social media.
  • communicate (in written, oral and presentation forms) the theoretical and practical strategies in PR and social media campaign design.
  • apply relationship management skills and demonstrate collaboration as a member of a team and with an external client, or external workplace supervisor.
  • evaluate and analyse the success of incorporating theory into practical and creative applications.
  • demonstrate high level English-language writing skills that provide evidence of your capacity to tailor material to the target audience.
  • analyse, evaluate and creatively present and discuss PR and social media ideas.
  • participate actively in team activities during and outside of class to achieve outcomes in a professional context.

PR Strategy - Part 2 Strategy Pitch

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 21 hours
Due: Week 10, 11 or 12
Weighting: 30%

 

Your consultancy will present your PR strategy to your client. You will be marked on your part in the online delivery, including your spoken delivery, slides and script. Refer to iLearn for further information.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • communicate (in written, oral and presentation forms) the theoretical and practical strategies in PR and social media campaign design.
  • apply relationship management skills and demonstrate collaboration as a member of a team and with an external client, or external workplace supervisor.
  • evaluate and analyse the success of incorporating theory into practical and creative applications.
  • analyse, evaluate and creatively present and discuss PR and social media ideas.
  • participate actively in team activities during and outside of class to achieve outcomes in a professional context.

PR Strategy - Part 1 Strategy Report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 21 hours
Due: Week 12 - Friday 30 Oct, 11.59pm
Weighting: 30%

This assessment requires students to develop a comprehensive communications plan (PR strategy) in the form of a report as part of a small group (PR agency) for a client. You will be marked on your sections of the report. Refer to iLearn for further information.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • research the disciplinary knowledge required to synthesize and problem-solve the debates in the field of PR and social media.
  • communicate (in written, oral and presentation forms) the theoretical and practical strategies in PR and social media campaign design.
  • apply relationship management skills and demonstrate collaboration as a member of a team and with an external client, or external workplace supervisor.
  • evaluate and analyse the success of incorporating theory into practical and creative applications.
  • demonstrate high level English-language writing skills that provide evidence of your capacity to tailor material to the target audience.
  • analyse, evaluate and creatively present and discuss PR and social media ideas.
  • participate actively in team activities during and outside of class to achieve outcomes in a professional context.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Lectures

Live lectures will run via Zoom from weeks 1-12. Some lectures will be delivered in an interview format with industry experts. Recordings will be made available after the lecture. 

Tutorials

You are expected to engage with the lectures and attend a 1-hour tutorial each week either online or on campus. 

Tutorials begin in week 2. However you will be invited to sign up to your client group from Week 1. The client briefs will be available from Week 1 so as soon as you are organised in a team and assigned a client you will be able to get you started on your group project.

Client meetings

Once you have your client brief in Week 1 or 2 and have met your team you will be able to email your client to introduce yourselves. It is recommended that each team choose one person to be the client liaison officer.

Initial briefing meetings with clients via Zoom (or face-to-face if applicable) should be arranged by each group during class time where possible, preferably during Week 3, but may vary depending on client availability.

You are encouraged to organise your own Zoom meetings and engage in email correspondance with your client throughout the semester. At the initial briefing meeting please discuss their communication preferences as well as availability/unavailability times. Do understand that this is subject to change and your ability to remain flexible will demonstrate a key professional skill. If you are having trouble contacting your client please let you tutor know as early as possible. Occassionally things come up for clients that may take time away from their ability to participate in this project, which we must understand. Please ask your tutor for guidance around this if it becomes an issue.

Presentations to clients will be held via Zoom (or on campus if applicable) during normal tutorial times in weeks 10, 11 and 12. This is where you pitch your idea to your client. Presentations will be recorded so that the client and tutor can maintain a copy for further reference. Ideally your client will provide some feedback on your pitch before submitting your final strategy document. However, by maintaining regular contact with your client across the semester (ideally once a week for the first 6 weeks) you should be getting feedback from the client along the way so that you know whether your team is on the right track. The pitch and final document should not come as a big surprise to them in terms of the overall direction but you can 'wow' them with the way you package the idea. 

Readings

Readings, including recommended chapters, articles books, will be available electronically on iLearn under the Leganto tab. 

Out-of-class commitment

MMCC3090 is a 3 credit point unit. This means that you should allocate approximately 10 hours of study per week for this unit (including in non-teaching weeks).

Roughly speaking each week this time should be spent on:

  • engaging with the lectures (1 hr)
  • participating in the tutorial (1 hr)
  • preparing for assessment tasks and the weekly challenge, including meetings with your group members and client (6-8 hrs)

Assessment preparation includes:

  • conducting research e.g. case studies, into the target public, social listening, your organisation, competitors, tools and tactics 
  • engaging with set and extra readings (e.g. academic texts, trade media, online articles) 
  • formatting and design

While you will have some time in class to meet, discuss, and work on your strategy with you team members, you will likely need more time to work directly with your team members outside of tutorials. This may be done face-to-face (if applicable) and/or via collaborative online tools.  

Online Collaboration Tools

A private Facebook Group will be set up for this class where you will be encouraged to participate in a 6 Week Facebook Challenge which will help propel your project work forward.

You may also like to create a Facebook Group for your own team to share ideas.

Regular Zoom consultations with your team and client (as mutually agreed) can also be beneficial.

It is also recommended you familiarise yourself with online collaboration tools like Google Docs/Drive as you develop a shared Presentation Slide Deck and Strategy Report document that can be updated as you go along. 

You may also like to familiarise yourself with design tools like Canva. 

There are also tutorials on producing short videos that may be of interest and may help support your project.

Note that you have access to LinkedIn Learning as a member of the university as well as the full Adobe Creative Cloud which may be of interest for ongoing professional development.

While this unit will not focus on how to use these many different applications, the ability to teach yourself some of these applications may benefit your online collaboration experience and ability to present key messages in an engaging way. You may start by learning with a Google search, watching YouTube tutorials, in-app tutorials, or by asking your classmates and team-members for help. As students come to this unit with different skill-sets we would most appreciate you being open to sharing your relevant skills and suggested resources with your classmates. You may use the class Facebook group or ilearn forum to ask 'how to' questions around online and social media tools and applications. Use the course as an opportunity to share experiences and develop your professional skills with your peers as well as from industry experts. 

Feedback in this Unit

Feedback in this unit to individuals, groups, and the class/cohort may be made available in multiple forms, including:

  • Q&A sessions in lectures and tutorials (please don't hesitate to raise your hand, speak up, or ask questions in the chat function for online classes)
  • Via email (please don't hesitate to ask any questions via email as they arise)
  • Via the private Facebook Group
  • Individual or group Zoom or face-to-face consultations (please email to arrange a private consultation)
  • Peer-to-peer feedback during tutorials and group sessions
  • Announcements on iLearn
  • Videos on ilearn
  • Within Turnitin - see textbox, comments on the actual submission, mark-up on rubric for for submitted assessments  

Samples of past strategy reports as well as detailed marking rubrics for all assessment tasks will be made available on iLearn.

Please don't hesitate to request feedback as you need it.

Emails

Generally student emails will be replied to within 48 business hours. Students should not expect emails to be returned on weekends and after hours. If you are having trouble contacting your client, please inform your tutor. 

Students should ensure that they can receive emails sent to their MQ email addresses.

Technology Required

This unit will make extensive use of iLearn https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/. Required readings, comprehensive information on assessment tasks and important announcements will be posted to iLearn. Make sure you check iLearn and your Macquarie University email account regularly during this unit.

For technical support go to: http://mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/informatics/help

For student quick guides on the use of iLearn go to: http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/guides.htm

Unit Schedule

PART 1: Building Professional Relationships

Week 1 Creating Your Creative Agency/Team, Connecting with Your Client, Establishing Authentic and Ethical Engagement 

Week 2 Creating Communities Online: Serving Internal and External Publics 

 

PART 2: Developing PR Strategies and Tactics

Week 3 How to Write a PR Strategy Report

Week 4 Creativity in PR: The Difference between Strategy, Idea and Execution (Tactics)

Week 5 Media Strategies: Interviews, Guest Posts, Thought Leadership 

Week 6 Events, Influencers, Partnerships and Collaborations

Week 7 Storytelling Across Platforms: Creating and Curating, Importance of Video

 

PART 3: Finessing the Pitch

Week 8 Convincing the Client with Comparative Case Studies, Statistics and Other Research  

Week 9 Pitching with Passion

 

PART 4: A Deeper Dive into Social Media and Implications for the PR Profession 

Week 10 Social Media Platforms and Trends: Implications for PR 

​Week 11 Social Media Monitoring and Analytics

Week 12 Review/PR Careers Insights

 

*See ilearn for final schedule - subject to change according to industry speaker availability.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct​

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

What is required to complete the unit satisfactorily

Assessment tasks are aligned to the unit Learning Outcomes. Timely submission of assessment tasks is a unit requirement or penalties apply.

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (including weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.

You are required to attend all tutorials. As participation in the process of learning is linked to and underpins the unit Learning Outcomes, you will need to either apply for Disruptions to Studies to cover any missed tutorial (if the disruption is greater than three consecutive days) or supply appropriate documentation to your unit convenor for any missed tutorial (if less than three consecutive days). 

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.